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News Agency.
The MOU limited the functions of the Office to
issuing visas, and did not give it representative status.
4. In January 1983, after the Office had been functioning for a year, the Chinese reiterated requests they had made in 1980 for the Visa Office to have additional privileges and immunities, and
sought permission to issue replacement travel documents to Chinese citizens whose passports were stolen, lost or full. Permission to issue passports was granted, but the Hong Kong Government continued to be reluctant to enact the special legislation necessary for the Office to have the extra privileges and immunities requested by the Chinese (mainly because their absence had not apparently caused any practical difficulties for the Visa Office).
5. In April 1983, however, the Chinese made it clear that, unless we agreed to grant these privileges, they would not be prepared to conclude the UK/China Consular Agreement for which negotiations were then in progress in Peking. Pending the conclusion of this Consular Agreement, we are unable to reopen the British Consulate General in Shanghai, to which we attach importance for commercial and political reasons. (We announced last August that we and the Chinese had agreed to the reopening of Shanghai and to the opening of a Chinese Consulate-General in the UK.) In these circumstances HMA Peking argued in favour of conceding the Chinese request. The FCO agreed in principle, and asked the Governor to consult the Executive Council (EXCO). In view of the Chinese insistence on linking the question of the Visa Office with the conclusion of the Consular Agreement, EXCO agreed to the proposal. Hong Kong's legislation will probably take the form of a short bill providing that certain or all sections of the Consular Privileges Ordinance may be applied to the Visa Office.
6. We do not believe that the granting of these privileges and immunities to the Chinese will have a detrimental effect on confidence in Hong Kong. The Visa Office have kept a low profile in Hong Kong. There has never been any suggestion that they might
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